Beware of police checkpoints

[Airalee]

Driving to HuaHin (from Bangkok) today with my Thai gf, I came to a checkpoint about 60km before HuaHin.  Rather than just the single friendly policeman looking at you through your open window and waving you by, this one was a gauntlet about 50 meters long.  Here’s how it went.

 

At the beginning of the checkpoint, the first policeman stopped me, looked inside, smiled and waved me through.  At the end of the line of orange cones, a second policeman...not quite as friendly looking instructed me to pull over on the side of the road where there were about a dozen masked police.  

Police approached both sides of the car and rather than asking for any kind of ID or passport, the first question was “do you smoke cigarettes”.  Answering him in Thai, I told him that I had quit smoking two months ago and showed him my package of Nicotine gum.  At that point, I was instructed to get out of the car and was further questioned about smoking.  
 

“When did you quit?” (A second time).   “I quit for New Years”

 

“Why did you quit?”  “I quit because I was tired of coughing so much and it’s good that I quit because of Coronavirus”

 

He was surprised that I could speak Thai. 

 

At that time, my girlfriend was being questioned about where I was from and what I did for work.  (I don’t work).

 

The police, then informed me that they would be searching my car.  I said ok, but my girlfriend, wise to their tactics, immediately said “Show me your hands”

 

Thank god she said that.  “show me your hands”.  I never would have thought about asking that.

The officer on the passenger side opemed his hands to show he had nothing, but the one on my side of the car immediately backed away.

 

The search was a joke.  All for show.  They opened the center console and that was it.  Didn’t look in the glovebox, the ashtray or even the trunk of the car.  I looked around and one thing I noticed about the cars that were pulled over was that they were nice cars.  No Civics or Camrys.   Just higher end cars with respectable looking people.  They weren’t targeting sketchy looking people....they were targeting rich looking people.  I was the only foreigner.

 

Hopefully (as some posters assume), Thai authorities are reading this thread...and to them, I would like to say...get your police force in order (fat chance of that happening).  We heard the “good guys in bad guys out” trope.  But really, it’s more like...”get the poor guys out and keep the ones with money here so we can extort them”.

 

<snip>

 

 

[PatOngo]

6 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Hopefully (as some posters assume), Thai authorities are reading this thread

Doubtful, it's in English!

[Psimbo]

At what point did they show themselves to be corrupt? How do you see extortion when you didn't pay a single satang?

 

Why speak to them in thai- the best thing to do is feign ignorance and say you don't understand, one normally gets waved through checkpoints immediately. Roll down the window in advance, take off the sunglasses, turn off the music and give them a smile as you show them your licence.

 

I have never been hassled or searched in over 15 years of driving here. Attitude counts for a lot and you project a lot of attitude in your post.

[Don Mega]

they search and found nothing.......... whats the point of this post ?

[ChouDoufu]

8 minutes ago, Airalee said:

The police, then informed me that they would be searching my car.  I said ok,

why?

 

that's a common tactic used by cops in the us.  they ask if they can search when they don't have authority to do so without a warrant.  if they can legally do so, they don't ask permission.

 

the intimidated victim agrees to the search despite having contraband in the vehicle.

 

what's the law in thailand, and what's the reality?

[Airalee]

11 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

At what point did they show themselves to be corrupt? How do you see extortion when you didn't pay a single satang?

 

Why speak to them in thai- the best thing to do is feign ignorance and say you don't understand, one normally gets waved through checkpoints immediately. Roll down the window in advance, take off the sunglasses, turn off the music and give them a smile as you show them your licence.

 

I have never been hassled or searched in over 15 years of driving here. Attitude counts for a lot and you project a lot of attitude in your post.

When the guy on my side of the car was going to open my door to search it, he backed off, closing the door when my gf loudly said “show me your hands”.  That’s enough to make someone suspicious.

[CharlieH]

I got flagged down yesterday, only the 3rd time in 14 years, Cop came to wife's side window, opened it, smiled, he said "you have licence" we both said yes, he smiled, didnt ask to see it, and just waived us on.

In other similar situations when they see me behind the wheel, they never actually stop the car, they usually just waive me on and dont engage me/us at all.

 

[Airalee]

13 minutes ago, Psimbo said:

At what point did they show themselves to be corrupt? How do you see extortion when you didn't pay a single satang?

 

Why speak to them in thai- the best thing to do is feign ignorance and say you don't understand, one normally gets waved through checkpoints immediately. Roll down the window in advance, take off the sunglasses, turn off the music and give them a smile as you show them your licence.

 

I have never been hassled or searched in over 15 years of driving here. Attitude counts for a lot and you project a lot of attitude in your post.

There was no attitude.  I was polite and respectful the whole time.  I’m not going to “feign ignorance” when I can speak Thai.  My window was rolled down, no music was playing and I had my sunglasses off so he could look me in the eyes.  I was waved through every check point on my 3000km drive up north a couple weeks ago.  This was unlike any checkpoint I had ever been through in my eight years of living here.

[alacrity]

The search was a joke.  All for show.  They opened the center console and that was it.  Didn’t look in the glovebox, the ashtray or even the trunk of the car.  I looked around and one thing I noticed about the cars that were pulled over was that they were nice cars.  No Civics or Camrys.   Just higher end cars with respectable looking people.  They weren’t targeting sketchy looking people....they were targeting rich looking people.  I was the only foreigner.

 

So, not a racist thing!

Perhaps your crime was just driving a car that is easily affordable by some with ill-gotten funds.

Just cops doing their job.

Edited March 4, 2020 by alacrity
comma

[Airalee]

2 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I got flagged down yesterday, only the 3rd time in 14 years, Cop came to wife's side window, opened it, smiled, he said "you have licence" we both said yes, he smiled, didnt ask to see it, and just waived us on.

In other similar situations when they see me behind the wheel, they never actually stop the car, they usually just waive me on and dont engage me/us at all.

 

I wasn’t even asked for my license or passport.  Go figure.

[Airalee]

Just now, alacrity said:

The search was a joke.  All for show.  They opened the center console and that was it.  Didn’t look in the glovebox, the ashtray or even the trunk of the car.  I looked around and one thing I noticed about the cars that were pulled over was that they were nice cars.  No Civics or Camrys.   Just higher end cars with respectable looking people.  They weren’t targeting sketchy looking people....they were targeting rich looking people.  I was the only foreigner.

 

S,o not a racist thing!

Perhaps your crime was just driving a car that is easily affordable by some with ill-gotten funds.

Just cops doing their job.

Where did I say it was racist?

[JustAnotherHun]

6 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

I got flagged down yesterday, only the 3rd time in 14 years, Cop came to wife's side window, opened it, smiled, he said "you have licence" we both said yes, he smiled, didnt ask to see it, and just waived us on.

In other similar situations when they see me behind the wheel, they never actually stop the car, they usually just waive me on and dont engage me/us at all.

 

That's exactly my experience with the few stops I had  all over the country in all those years.

But there are too many stories of drugs beeing placed by corrupt police during a search that I don't believe they're all made up.

Edited March 4, 2020 by JustAnotherHun

[Airalee]

15 minutes ago, ChouDoufu said:

why?

 

that's a common tactic used by cops in the us.  they ask if they can search when they don't have authority to do so without a warrant.  if they can legally do so, they don't ask permission.

 

the intimidated victim agrees to the search despite having contraband in the vehicle.

 

what's the law in thailand, and what's the reality?

I would like to know the law regarding that too.  In the US, many years ago, I declined the one time I was asked when pulled over for speeding.  I don’t really want to “rock the boat” here...so...with nothing to hide...I said “ok”.

[Lacessit]

It's fairly well known in Thailand drug smugglers drive expensive cars. Beemers, Mercs, high end pickups. The police at the checkpoint were targeting them.

I've been driving a 2006 Toyota Vios for about 6 years now. Get waved through every time.

[amykat]

Maybe the cops just need to appear to be interviewing and searching all appropriate type vehicles, until the correct targets show up ....therefore they make stupid conversation and half assed searches in the meantime??  

[NCC1701A]

36 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Doubtful, it's in English!

i can tell you first hand I was told by a Hua Hin POS cop that they read this very forum and many Facebook pages.  

[Airalee]

5 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

i can tell you first hand I was told by a Hua Hin POS cop that they read this very forum and many Facebook pages.  

You were dead on right when you warned me yesterday.  At least I made it safely.

[NCC1701A]

46 minutes ago, Airalee said:

the first question was “do you smoke cigarettes”.  

whatever you do don't have any prescription drugs without a prescription from a doctor attached to it in Hua Hin.

 

this includes drugs you can buy in local pharmacies. 

 

about where was the check point located? must have been north of town before the airport?

 

 

 

 

[Nyezhov]

Dude admit it you were screaming down the road blasting Nickelback and hoovering a fattie.

 

Ride or die.

[Airalee]

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

whatever you do don't have any prescription drugs without a prescription from a doctor attached to it in Hua Hin.

 

this includes drugs you can buy in local pharmacies. 

 

about where was the check point located? must have been north of town before the airport?

 

 

 

 

Around Petchaburi

[NCC1701A]

2 minutes ago, Airalee said:

Around Petchaburi

ok that is very far north.

[Kwasaki]

57 minutes ago, Airalee said:

He was surprised that I could speak Thai. 

Was stop near Hua-Hin Monday and speaking Thai I see as a problem imho I just open window showing my Thai DL, if he don't wave me on and bubbles in Thai I speak loud and clear do you speak English officer and then get waved on. ????

[NCC1701A]

4 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Was stop near Hua-Hin Monday and speaking Thai I see as a problem imho I just open window showing my Thai DL, if he don't wave me on and bubbles in Thai I speak loud and clear do you speak English officer and then get waved on. ????

day or night? where please.

[Kwasaki]

Just now, NCC1701A said:

day or night? where please.

I was just wave through on this check it was this Monday gone daytime on the No.4 AH somic or other highway that by-passes Hua-Hin and Cha-am.

[Mansell]

Got stopped in the Thai girlfriends car, I was driving, in Nakhon Sawan at night in the middle of the city. A lot of cops completely blocking the road and no way to avoid them. They looked in the glove box and waved us on. I asked her what was going on...she responded she didn’t know, maybe looking for guns or drugs. Most of the time they just look at my license.....though one time when it was martial law riding Ninja from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai they stopped me and asked if I spoke Thai, said no, and then they took a selfie with me on the bike and waved me on.

[sharktooth]

I got pulled between uttaradit and phitsanaluk and the copper showed me a photo on his iPad of me doing 130kph and said ‘too fast.’ I replied, ‘that’s nothing mate you should have saw me earlier.’ Completely over his head, paid 500 baht and buggered off again...

[CGW]

1 hour ago, Airalee said:

I was waved through every check point on my 3000km drive up north a couple weeks ago.

Did you get lost? 

[sharktooth]

41 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

and hoovering a fattie.

Good grief it’s 2020, the term is vacuuming a plus size...

[sungod]

38 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

ok that is very far north.

I drive down from Bangkok to Hua Hin on a regular basis, the check point he is talking about is there extremely often to the point you can see the barriers/flashing signs stored on the side of the road when its not in place. Its under a bridge just south of Petchaburi (KM marker 158 springs to mind??? but not 100% sure) . Always full on, across all 3 lanes. Going north across all lanes and also the frontage road. Stacks of old bill, pick up trucks being pulled over are always a favorite.

 

Nothing out of the ordinary to be honest, I always slow down well under the limit as sometimes they have speed guns out in advance. Just note it next time you go through and expect it each time after. If its not there then its a bonus.

Edited March 4, 2020 by sungod

[bwpage3]

I seriously doubt a Thai woman would ever question the police during a stop.

 

And why in the world would the police ask you if you smoked?

 

The whole idea of a police checkpoint is financial extortion of some type?

 

By the way, how do you say Corona Virus in Thai?